Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

Silicon Valley is still emerging from the tech bubble and massive downturn of late 2000-2002. Online social networking is a concept still being evangelized even in Silicon Valley… Friendster is in private beta (wasn’t until Oct 2003 they received Google acquisition offer which they turned down for Kleiner/Benchmark round).

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

OCTOBER 16, 2011

Ron Conway, known as the Godfather of Silicon Valley and part of SV Angel, came to Campbell to talk some shop, angel investing. In 1999, 80% of the portfolio went out of business with him commenting, “Thank G*d we invested in Google” SV Angel investing priority is 1) idea, 2) people, then 3) market size.

Silicon Valley 53

Silicon Valley Angel Investor Portfolio IPO 53

Campus Entrepreneurship

APRIL 18, 2012

Regular readers know we love TV for entrepreneurs. The WSJ reports that hollywood is now thinking of producing TV shows and movies centered around the life of tech entrepreneurs and engineers. From Jessica Vascellaro, Entrepreneurs Get Big Break — on Screen : Comcast Corp.’s In Hollywood, two movies about Apple Inc.

Silicon Valley 39

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Cofounder France 39

thebarefootvc

MAY 8, 2012

As an entrepreneur at heart, I often innately grasp the potential of entrepreneurs and ideas that I meet with. These days, I am seeing a large number of first time entrepreneurs with great ideas, which is fantastic to see. There is inherent risk taking when you haven’t done it before, which often leads to true innovation.

Venture Capital 78

Venture Capital Syndicate Syndication Bandwidth 78

crowdSPRING Blog

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

The video above shows Billie Holiday (one of my favorite singers) singing “Strange Fruit”, a song that Time manazine named, in 1999, the “song of the century” The song is a protest against racism. Are you an entrepreneur or small business owner – [link]. More Vacation is the Secret Sauce – [link].

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 25, 2016

As we come to the end of a particularly noisy and contentious election cycle, a thought echoes over and over in my mind – we need more entrepreneurs in Congress. Rather than play into the existing political infrastructure in New York, Martin did what any great entrepreneur does and started a new political party.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur New York Silicon Valley Seed Capital 70

thebarefootvc

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

I often think of all the times I was encouraged to conform when I come across entrepreneurs who are told that their ideas won’t work. I have the opportunity to build bridges from NYC to Nairobi, from Dhaka to Denver, from Silicon Valley to Singapore.

Silicon Valley 45

Silicon Valley India Africa Burma 45

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

So, I’d like to start by sharing the story of a female entrepreneur who did experience VC funding success—but still also felt the impact of the biases held by the industry. A study based out of Babson College via The Diana Project looked at venture capital investments in women between the years 1999 and 2014. A rare success.

Venture Capital 82

Venture Capital Lean Cofounder Technical Review 82

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I believe the rise in angel investing is here to stay and the professionalization of this class (aka “super angels&# or “micro VC&# ) is a good thing for the VC industry and for entrepreneurs. I believe that if you have 5 distinct skills you have a good chance at making great returns.

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Silicon Valley Deal Flow Angel Investor Cofounder 306

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Eighty some pages later I realized that a) I had some great war stories as a good marketeer and failed CEO, b) I’d have to pay my wife and kids to read them, c) the three of them were probably the entire total available market, and d) when I looked at what I had done and what other entrepreneurs had done at their startups, that there was a pattern.

Redemption 126

Redemption Silicon Valley RSS California 126

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had previously raised VC in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. Experienced and serial entrepreneurs in the content management space. I met a lot of really bright people that were passionate about and experienced in helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses. There is really no other place in the world like Silicon Valley.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Term Sheet San Diego Viral 274

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 28, 2011

Wong, a serial entrepreneur, also founded Linknet Solutions in 1999 and was responsible for developing Brunei’s first and largest online shopping website, www.qqestore.com. Bloapp is the brainchild of Nicky Wong, the founder and director of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Infindo Technology ( www.infindo.com ).

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Brunei Malaysia Silicon Valley Singapore 250

OnlyOnce

JANUARY 2, 2011

But still, the subject doesn’t always translate as well to the average entrepreneur as microeconomics does – most business people have good intuitive understandings of supply, demand, and pricing. Here’s my basic example over the past 10 years. Today, Return Path has less than one administrative assistant in a company of the same size.

China 74

China Startup Offshore Silicon Valley 74

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

At the same time we have seen the start-up ecosystems in New York, London and Berlin emerge as meaningful competitors to Silicon Valley. Those VCs were nearly all situated in Silicon Valley and most companies couldn’t get very far without going to them. It’s no coincidence that these two developments have come together.

Silicon Valley 97

Silicon Valley Cost Startup Boston 97

ReadWriteStart

MAY 2, 2012

Angels were swooping in and entrepreneurs, a lot of whom had soured on the VC model, welcomed them with open hands. Another part: Entrepreneurs want bigger rounds. Don’t blame the entrepreneurs. But this seems to have sorted itself out,” Hollifield says. That’s part of the explanation. from 75.8% the previous quarter.

San Francisco 115

San Francisco Silicon Valley Incubator Startup 115

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

Our startup was venture funded in 1999 and we didn’t pay enough attention to this advice! Steve Blanks 30 years of Silicon Valley startup advice. By seeing the video, I gained some more understanding of the slides and concepts (which I have read about on your blog). I like your comment on “get liquid in a bubble&#.

Customer Development 212

Customer Development Developer Silicon Valley Customer 212

online.wsj.com

JULY 11, 2012

Theres a power struggle underway in Silicon Valley. Andreessen Horowitz is telling entrepreneurs it prefers situations where the founders have controlling stakes, reckoning that theyll be better able to resist outside distraction and focus on making great products. Stock Quotes. more in Tech. link] [link] --> By JOANN S.

Silicon Valley 42

Silicon Valley Founder Software Review Technical Review 42

Pascal's View

AUGUST 12, 2009

I liked the Friday, August 7 Wall Street Journal editorial, Washington vs. Silicon Valley , but it does not go far enough. If the upside is taken away by regulations that make the risk/reward equation unattractive, risk capital and entrepreneurs will leave the U.S. Investors take risk in order to reap rewards.

IPO 28

IPO Silicon Valley Merger Sweat Equity 28

Steve Blank

MAY 17, 2011

Years later this area would become known as Silicon Valley. But I learned that in Silicon Valley, honest failure is a badge of experience. In 1999… with the company’s revenue north of $100 million…I handed the keys to a new CEO and left. My third story is about Failure and Redemption.

Philadelphia 335

Philadelphia Miami Thailand Silicon Valley 335

Austin Startup

DECEMBER 20, 2020

I used to meet a high profile entrepreneur or investor moving here every month and now it seems it’s one or two a week. Follow Ben on Twitter @FederalLamm #ArtificialIntelligence #CEO #Space #Science #TomorrowingToday Brett Hurt is one of the most successful serial entrepreneurs in Austin. He’s an entrepreneur, investor, and author?—?seamlessly

Austin 110

Austin Texas Cofounder Los Angeles 110

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 11, 2010

This past December I spent a week in Boston to try to get to know some of the local VC’s and entrepreneurs a bit better. I believe that first-time entrepreneurs also benefit hugely from working in close proximity to other companies. Entrepreneurs need to share more information with each other.

San Francisco 285

San Francisco Incubator Silicon Valley Startup 285

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

While that’s not true, it is a fact that entrepreneurs only have one word for “startup.” Handspring in a Existing Market As an example, imagine it’s October 1999 and you are Donna Dubinsky the CEO of a feisty new startup, Handspring, entering the billion dollar Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) market. Order Here. Now In Print!

Customer Development 196

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 196

Pascal's View

SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

This textbook combines the strength of my Silicon Valley experiences as a venture capitalist and Mannie’s research as a professor, and it will help strengthen Chinese college-education programs in this particular field.

Venture Capital 44

Venture Capital China Technical Review Due Diligence 44

Lightspeed Venture Partners

MAY 5, 2016

At Lightspeed we invest in the entrepreneur and the first thing we do is install a Batphone. What I mean is we strive to be the entrepreneur’s first call. And the importance of not just thinking like an entrepreneur, but rolling up our sleeves and being an entrepreneur — to be builders of great companies with great founders.

Silicon Valley 60

Silicon Valley Advisory Board Flash Pennsylvania 60

The Next Web

JUNE 20, 2013

When cloud services company Cornerstone OnDemand got its start in Los Angeles in 1999, the odds were against it. Even when you’re a small fish, it’s just easier to find your way around,” he said in an interview with The Next Web on the sidelines of Silicon Beach Fest. Entrepreneur Insider Profiles and Interviews'

Cloud 118

Cloud Southern California Los Angeles New York City 118

The Equity Kicker

APRIL 13, 2017

In 1999 when I started in venture capital there were no blogs and very few business books that were useful for entrepreneurs. As a keen observer of startups over the last 17 years, one of the most remarkable and welcome developments has been the application of scientific method to building startups.

Lean 90

Lean Startup Silicon Valley Venture Capital 90

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 14, 2009

Using examples drawn from his own experiences in the startup hub of Silicon Valley, Eric Ries unravels the myths and misconceptions that guide most startups, and paints a picture of a new way forward for the industry. I joined a financial services tech startup in 1999. Twitter about it or post it to a social media site?

Lean 60

Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Software Review 60

thebarefootvc

JANUARY 1, 2013

I invested in Silicon Valley from 1999-2003 and in NYC pre and post 2008 financial crisis. As a career venture capitalist, I look for entrepreneurs who are driven to innovate and keep an eye out for disruptive change regardless of cycle. I’ve seen this movie twice before as a VC.

Silicon Valley 84

Silicon Valley United States Portfolio Internet 84

Steve Blank

JUNE 29, 2009

My first job in Silicon Valley: I was hired as a lab technician at ESL to support the training department. It makes you appreciate that the Silicon Valley technology-centric culture-bubble has little to do with the majority of Americans.) You’re Hired, You’re Fired. Driving across the U.S. I was stunned.

Agile 245

Agile Silicon Valley RSS California 245

thebarefootvc

JULY 3, 2016

Like any motivated entrepreneur, I started a company (in this case, an investment platform), to fill the gaps – which I also believed FPV was uniquely capable of filling. I am thankful to all of FPV’s early LPs, advisors and entrepreneurs who are an indispensable part of FPV’s mission and success to date. Below is a recap.

North America 40

North America Early Stage New York City Portfolio 40

thebarefootvc

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Like any motivated entrepreneur, I started a company (in this case, an investment platform), to fill the gaps – which I also believed FPV was uniquely capable of filling. I am thankful to all of FPV’s early LPs, advisors and entrepreneurs who are an indispensable part of FPV’s mission and success to date. Below is a recap.

North America 40

North America Early Stage New York City Portfolio 40

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 12, 2011

I followed her writing and bought her AOL book back in 1999. Kidding aside, Swisher said, “dudes in Silicon Valley” do seem to have no trouble playing the game and picking up the inside lingo of pumped-up valuations and venture capitalist name-dropping.". Both of these women had a significant impact on my career.

Silicon Valley 112

Silicon Valley Cofounder Venture Capital Valuation 112

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. You’ll never make a great entrepreneur. So your journey to fund raising begins by strengthening your relationships with other entrepreneurs.

Developer 366

Developer Silicon Valley PR Las Vegas 366

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 9, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, July 9, 2009 10 years of entrepreneurship I recently passed my ten-year anniversary of becoming an entrepreneur. In the summer of 1999, I started working on a startup from my college dorm. Id been on the internet since I was playing MUDs as a kid, but by 1999 I felt Id already missed the boat.

San Francisco 94

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

A friend of mine is a serial entrepreneur and is running a high-profile, early stage company in NorCal. We exchanged ideas when I was an entrepreneur along side him in NorCal in 05-07 and my point-of-view on founder / VC relationships hasn’t shifted even 1% since I went to the dark side. I believe this is wrong.

Founder 329

Founder Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Participating Preferred 329

Duct Tape Marketing

OCTOBER 27, 2022

Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, you know, any of these visionaries and entrepreneurs here in America, if you ask 10 people for their opinion on Jeff Bezos, which I've done over the last three years of doing the research for my new book, you get 10 different opinions. Think of it as a mantra in 1998, in a second shareholder letter, or 1999 Yeah. (20:43):

Seattle 61

Seattle Silicon Valley Conversion Naming 61

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write and 9 Tips To Get Started - OnStartups , September 27, 2010 "The best part of blogging is the people you will meet"- Hugh MacLeod repeating wisdom from Loic Lemeur to me at the Big Pink at 2 am in South Beach after the Future of Web Apps 2008. Advisory Board. He's awesome. " Listen.

Technology 191

Technology Product San Francisco CTO Hire 191